Made by America's Largest Manufacturers of Lamp Shades - Shades Inc.
A significant amount of empty factory space resulted from the demise of the Farr Alpaca Company. Albert Kahn, of New York City, owned the Farr Alpaca real estate and was eager to fill the space with businesses. Several smaller start-up companies filled some of the void. One of these companies, which was sold on the opportunity of moving to Holyoke, was Shades Inc., the topic of today's story.
Shades Inc., a lampshade manufacturer, had operated in New York City for 15 years. Its owner was Harry C. Finkel, who had a fascinating and diverse background and outlook, including being a patented inventor of the flared lampshade and an advocate for math and science education.
Harry Harold Finkel was a New York City native who attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years. He also served as a law clerk for N. Y. Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Cuff. He was passionate about inventing games and recognizing and promoting the importance of education. More on that will be shared later to avoid straying from the subject at hand.
In July 1955, there was a formal announcement that Shades Inc. would be relocating to Holyoke. The plant was located at 547 West 27th Street in New York City. The company entered into a lease for 53,000 square feet of space on the second floor of the former Farr Alpaca's E building on the corner of Bigelow and Appleton streets. The owners also had an option to lease a similar amount of space on another floor.
Shades Inc. had 70 employees in New York and expected to increase the total workforce to 100 in Holyoke, potentially more if the additional floor option was exercised. Chain Stores were its primary market, so transportation avenues to major outlets were an essential factor in its relocation decision. Bruce and Jerry Finkel, Harry Finkel's sons, were also associated with the business.
During the summer of 1955, while the space was readied and the move would soon begin, Shades Inc. was holding training seminars for 16 key employees at 150 Race Street. This was a temporary location above the Holyoke Supply Company.
In September 1955, lampshade production began at the Bigelow Street plant. The company regularly advertised for experienced sewing machine operators.
Mr. Finkel spent a fair amount of time inventing different games that would also be manufactured at the mill under the Sho Sho Inc. corporate name. The games included Shoo-Shoo Punching Bladder, a punching bag; Hoopster; Arithma-Top, a math game; and Face-Tone, a tanning machine that used ultraviolet and infrared light to produce a "Florida tan" after four treatments.
In 1959, Harry Finkel exercised the option of acquiring another 53,000 square feet of space on the fifth floor of the building for the production of Face Tone Sun Ray. This was manufactured by another of Mr. Finkel's corporations, Face Tone Inc. The hiring of 25 additional workers was anticipated when work started. The intended market for the new product was barbershops and beauty parlors in the Holyoke area, then expanding throughout New England and the greater Northeast.
With the leasing of the fifth floor, the entire building was occupied by businesses in 1959.
> Pioneer Valley Finishing Co. - First Floor
> Shades Inc. - Second and Fifth Floors
> Advertising Corporation of America - Third and Fourth Floors
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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